Australian Open 2026 LIVE updates: Keys chases second title; Duckworth faces champ Sinner; Special Ks in all-Aussie showdown; Djokovic, Osaka in action

Any of the rust that was in Madison Keys’ game two days has completely gone, with the defending champion winning the first set 6-1 against Ashlyn Krueger.

It took just 23 minutes for Keys to get through the first set in what was complete domination on John Cain Arena.

Unfortunately for Krueger, Keys has managed to find the form that helped propel her to the championship last year.

Keys is hitting well, pushing Krueger around the court, and sending powerful forehand winners to all parts of the court.

This match could well be wrapped up inside an hour.

Down on KIA Arena there’s plenty of support for Rinky Hijikata, who is facing world No.31 Valentin Vacherot.

Passionate fans decked out in yellow shirts and green bucket hats are cheering on the Australian.

Today’s chant is a patriotic rendition of “If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands.”

Instead, they’ve gone with, “If you’re Aussie and you know it…” It won’t win an ARIA, but at least it’s coming from the right place.

Hijikata has struggled with faults and was broken early, but seems to be slowly warming up.

Vacherot leads 2-0.

Tennis great Novak Djokovic has made a career of leaving countless tennis courts with a bang.

Luxury watchmaker Hublot has tapped into that trend when launching its Big Bang Tourbillon Novak Djokovic GOAT Edition, a trilogy of luxury watches developed with Djokovic, the brand’s ambassador.

For the stats nerds out there, the eye-wateringly pricey timepieces reflect key milestones in Djokovic’s career – 101 tournament victories, 24 grand slam titles, an Olympic gold medal and a record 428 week-run as world No.1.

The blue model represents hardcourts, the orange clay courts and the green grass courts.

But as always is the case with high fashion and accessories, the watches are limited.

Production numbers are linked to Djokovic’s victories on each surface – 72 for hardcourts, 21 for clay and eight for grass – a total of just 101 watches.

And the cost of these timepieces, you ask? A modest $US115,000 ($170,000).

We’ll stick to our old timepieces – and watching the Djoker at the AO, thanks.

If he’s not talking about taking over Greenland or imposing tariffs on the rest of the world, Donald Trump’s name is popping up in Australian Open media conferences.

At least two American players have been asked for their view on the Trump administration as it enters its second year – or round two in tennis parlance.

Tournament No.3 seed Coco Gauff was measured in saying: “I hope forward that we can have a lot more peace in our country, more kindness in the way we speak to each other about different topics and things like that.

“I feel a bit fatigued talking about it, just because of the fact that it is hard, also, I think, being a black woman in this country and having to experience things even online, and seeing marginalised communities being affected, and knowing that I can only really donate and speak out, and I try my best to do that.

“Yeah, I just hope that as time continues, that we can reach a state where we’re not currently in, and we keep moving forward. I posted that video of Martin Luther King yesterday, and that was kind of saying that we must keep moving forward even though things may not be as calm as I would like it to be right now.”

Gauff’s compatriot, Hailey Baptiste, was also asked what it was like to play under the American flag in the Trump era.

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“Oh, there’s a lot of crazy things going on in the US, but it’s out of my control,” Baptiste said.

“As a tennis player, I have really no power with that, but I’m hoping that things can be better within the next year, and we can just be peaceful with everybody.

“I mean, in [Washington] D.C. it’s been, yeah, pretty insane, just with all the officers and everybody out on the streets.

“It literally looks like a war zone. So I mean, that’s just difficult to see and be around sometimes, but hopefully that’s not something that lasts for long.”

Gauff and Baptiste are drawn to play each other in the third round.

Tennis great Novak Djokovic goes into today’s clash with Italian qualifier Francesco Maestrelli as the heavy favourite, naturally.

The pair have never faced each other, but if the superb Serb wanted any insider tips into the young Italian’s game style, he could call a friend.

When Djokovic was getting ready for the US Open, he trained for a week in Montenegro with French player of Serbian descent, Luka Pavlovic.

Pavlovic was eliminated in the first round of this year’s AO qualifiers, but he knows a thing or two about Maestrelli.

The 23-year old Italian defeated Pavlovic in the final of last year’s Ion Tiriac Challenger in Romania, his third challenger career title.

But Maestrelli is a grand slam novice, and as we reported in this blog earlier this week, his reaction to the prospect of facing one of the world’s best went viral.

“No, no ... come on,” Maestrelli said in disbelief following his first-round AO victory when a Eurosport Italia reporter told him he could square off with Djokovic next.

The reporter asked the world No.141 whether he was joking when he told him he hadn’t been checking the AO scores.

“I never look at the scoreboard because I’m always afraid of getting a little stressed out, maybe I’ll see who I’ll play next,” Maestrelli said. “Besides, one should never make predictions ... Novak Djokovic? Oh, well.”

Spanish ace Alejandro Davidovich Fokina had to overcome a twisted ankle, a dogged American opponent and the annoying distraction of “four ignorant drunks” to scramble into the third round.

At one point, Davidovich Fokina became so agitated with a small group of rowdy fans in the Kia Arena stands during his five-set victory over Reilly Opelka, umpire Nico Helwerth jumped off his chair to intervene.

“Keep it fair for both athletes, they are trying their best out here,” Helwerth demanded of the crowd. “Please, we are playing a tennis match, all right?”

Davidovich Fokina, the tournament’s No.14 seed, slipped and fell during the match and then had an angry exchange with a section of fans who were apparently chanting “USA”.

When asked about the moment in his post-match press conference, the Spaniard said: “Yeah, well, I twisted my ankle and he won the point. And I think it’s not fair for me that they cheered that point, because maybe I could get twisted worse.

“But at the end it was not fair that they were cheering at that point because it was a free point for him.”

Davidovich Fokina said he emerged from the victory – 6-3, 7-6 (7-3), 5-7, 4-6, 6-4 – without any ankle pain and was later philosophical about the American parochialism in the stands.

“I think today was a very good match,” he said. “The crowd wanted to see a fifth set. It can happen here, it can happen wherever in the world.”

He then told the Spanish press: “There were four ignorant drunks who I don’t know if they were gambling or what, and they were being a bit of a nuisance.

“There are respectful people who cheer, but there are always four who don’t respect anyone. This can happen here and anywhere in the world.”

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